
Tell your legislators to support Virginia’s ban on polystyrene foam
Tell your legislators to support budget amendments which would protect the phase out of single use foam and honor this bipartisan ban.
Governor Glenn Youngkin released his proposed budget this week and once again, it includes language to delay Virginia's popular, bipartisan ban on polystyrene foam cups and take out containers.
Governor Glenn Youngkin released his proposed budget this week and once again, it includes language to delay Virginia’s popular, bipartisan ban on polystyrene foam cups and take out containers. The 2025 General Assembly session will kick off in January and legislators will have to once again defend this law and remove the delay language.
Virginia’s phase out of polystyrene foam cups and take out containers is set to begin next year. Large chains will no longer be allowed to use single use foam products starting July 1st, 2025. Smaller establishments have an extra year to comply.
This bipartisan ban was a hugely popular. Environment Virginia generated over 50,000 petitions of support from Virginians across the Commonwealth. If there was one thing that seemed to bring people together, it was their desire to never see single use foam cups and takeout containers in their waterways, farms, gutters, recycling bins, anywhere and everywhere ever again.
Despite the broad support, the Youngkin administration, industry and a couple legislators have repeatedly worked to use the budget making process to rollback this law. By using the budget, they were able to side step the committees and floor votes that were all supportive of the ban.
In 2022, they successfully added budget language to significantly delay the ban. Under Youngkin’s delay, foam would not be phased out until 2030.
While the phase out did not start on schedule (originally 2023 for large chains), legislators did move forward the dates to start in 2025 for large chains and 2026 for small businesses. Governor Youngkin attempted to block this but legislators held strong.
In Youngkin’s newly proposed budget, he is once again working to push back the phase out until next decade. It is more important than ever to ensure this law goes into effect. Legislators have repeatedly shown broad support for this law and must stand strong behind it.
Contact your legislator today to tell them: no more delays, wildlife over waste today!
Tell your legislators to support budget amendments which would protect the phase out of single use foam and honor this bipartisan ban.
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Energy Conservation & Efficiency
Energy Conservation & Efficiency